Fleetwood Mac, The #12 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Three

 

(Continued from Part Two)

And then we all get the important lesson that chart success and financial success don't mean personal happiness.  John and Christine, whose marriage had been in trouble for some time, divorced.  Fleetwood, who too had been experiencing the heartbreak that comes with infidelity, was in the process of finalizing his divorce.  The group very easily could have fractured during this time.  The group ABBA, for example, split up when those two famous couples divorced.  Perseverance--when you look that word up in the dictionary, one should see a mental picture of Fleetwood Mac, because they defined it.

Add to those marital troubles the added stress of the pressure from the record company, rock promoters, radio stations, and fans to follow up an album like a seven-million seller and the stress of being wealthy and getting calls from people you haven't heard from in years.  The stress of being famous is something few people can relate to.  But it is intense, and all of this led to creative struggles and personal problems, made all the worse by lots of alcohol and drugs.

 

All of these problems were further complicated when Buckingham and Nicks began to have problems as well.  This is the backdrop for what was going on when Fleetwood Mac was recording what we now know is The #1 Album of the Rock Era*, the amazing Rumours album.  They not only matched the huge success of Fleetwood Mac; they far, far exceeded it, as well as every other album in music history.  Buckingham's "Go Your Own Way", one of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, led it all off, and his great guitar work showed everyone what a steal he was for Fleetwood Mac.  "Go Your Own Way" motored to #1 in the Netherlands and #10 in the U.S.

Fleetwood Mac's first album on the parent Warner Brothers after Reprise was retired sold 10 million copies within a month, and it's total album sales conservatively are pegged at 45 million.  Stevie's classic "Dreams", another of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, also comes from this masterpiece.  "Go Your Own Way" by Buckingham and "Dreams" are two songs written about the failed relationship.  "Dreams" gave Mac their first #1 in the U.S. and Canada and topped out at #4 in Australia and #6 in New Zealand.

Rumours won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, which would of course be a prerequisite for being the #1 album of all-time, and they also received a nomination for Best Performance by a Pop/Rock Group with Vocals.  Christine's songwriting was at a peak, with she and Lindsey sharing lead on "Don't Stop", another #1 in Canada that also made it big in the U.S. (#3) and the Netherlands (#4).

Rumours generated four Top 10 singles, which had been accomplished just a handful of times in the Rock Era from 1964-1977.  But four of The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*--never accomplished before or since.  This is the great song "You Make Loving Fun", another from Christine.  A peak of #7 in Canada and #9 in the U.S. originally, but strong airplay and continued album sales have proved those "peaks" to be ridiculously low.

 

Ken Caillat, father of Colbie Caillat, produced the album.  Fleetwood Mac piled up the points in our ranking with Rumours.  Would they have had all the other success they've had without it?  We'll never know, but it certainly contributed to their current huge fan base, and they would not be ranked near as high without it.  It's a one-album wrecking ball that most artists' careers could not compete with.  This is "I Don't Want To Know".

Fleetwood Mac also won American Music Awards for Favorite Popular/Rock Album and Favorite Popular/Rock Band, Duo or Group, and were nominated again for Favorite Pop/Rock Band the following year.  This fan favorite is the only one written by all five members, with sections of different takes spliced together.    The rhythm of "Second Hand News" was inspired by the Bee Gees' "Jive Talkin'", which had been number one before the group worked on Rumours.  It kicks off the album in such a great way, and you know you're in for an emotional rollercoaster!

 

It began as a Christine song called "Butter Cookie (Keep Me There)", which is now available on the expanded edition of Rumours.  The beginning of the song wasn't working, but the group loved Fleetwood and John's ending.  John wrote the bass line, which he was planning to use in another song but decided it fit this one better.  So the group counted backward from that bass line and used the kick-drum as a metronome.  Stevie wrote the verses, Buckingham and Christine wrote the chorus lyrics, and Linsey added guitar over the end of the song.  Here is "The Chain".

 

This touching song is one of many great ones written by Christine that were never released as a single.  She often likes to write from another person's point of view.  "If you take 'Songbird' as an example, that was written in about half an hour," she told Uncut.  "If I could write a few more like that, I would be a happy girl."  "It doesn't really relate to anybody in particular; it relates to everybody," she continued.  "It's about you and nobody else.  It's about you and everybody else.  That's how I like to write songs."  This is "Songbird".

Fleetwood Mac was again nominated for an American Music Award in 1978 for Favorite Popular (Rock) Group.  The hard-working band supported the album with a long and lucrative tour.  Here is Nicks' gem, "Gold Dust Woman".  Recording assistant Chris Morris talked about the session in Q magazine:

              Recording "Gold Dust Woman" was one of

               the great moments because Stevie was 

               very passionate about getting that vocal 

               right.  It seemed like it was directed straight

               at Lindsey and she was letting it all out.  

               She worked right through the night on it, and 

               finally did it after loads of takes. The wailing,

               the animal sounds and the breaking glass 

               were all added later.  Five or six months into

               it, once John had got his parts down, 

              Lindsey spent weeks in the studio adding

               guitar parts, and that's what really gave the

               album its texture.

All five of these tracks never released as singles are not only our Top Tracks* but three of them ("I Don't Want To Know", "The Chain" and "Gold Dust Woman") are some of The Top Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

In 1979, Fleetwood Mac received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Lest anyone think that's quick for two albums, albeit two great albums, remember that this English-American group paid their dues for years and years.  And then some.

50 million in album sales for two albums.  Incredible.  No one lives up to an album like Rumours with their follow-up.  The members of Fleetwood Mac knew that, and did not try to match it, either in style or success.  That is to their credit that they didn't robotically produce a copycat album.  What followed was another masterpiece, although few casual fans know it even now.  

Don't miss Part Four of Fleetwood Mac!